


but i am stronger than you know

by disarmed



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22223368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disarmed/pseuds/disarmed
Summary: they say team work makes the dream work; elena and katherine haven't quite gotten the memo yet.
Relationships: Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce
Comments: 5
Kudos: 57





	but i am stronger than you know

**Author's Note:**

> in an effort to save some of the older fandom works (rip lj), i'm x-posting mine to here.

::  
  
Katherine has been locked in a tomb for an awful amount of time, so being locked in a bedroom? Well. It's a step up, but that doesn't mean she's happy about it.  
  
::  
  
 **4:22pm**  
  
She wouldn't have minded so much if she'd been left alone, but of course, there's obviously some other powers at work here, because she's locked in the room with Elena. Her doppelganger of all people. Even _Caroline_ would have been better... she could have beaten some sense of respect into the stupid little twit. But no, whoever's behind this -- and she has a nagging sense that it's the Bennett witch -- seems to have an agenda, especially to keep her locked in here with Elena for God knows how long.  
  
"When are we going to get out of here?"  
  
Katherine flicks her eyes over to where Elena is pacing back in forth in front of the door. The girl's been been doing it for the past twenty minutes, she'll end up wearing down the rug if she continues. Katherine looks down at her crossed knees, hanging over the arm of the chair she's in, and sighs.  
  
"Not for a while, it would seem."  
  
Elena turns, eyes narrowed furiously. "Did you put someone up to this? Is this some kind of sick game? Who do you think you are--"  
  
"Elena," snaps Katherine, and the girl looks momentarily shocked, "do you honestly think I want to be stuck in a room with _you_?" At Elena's silence, Katherine raises her brows and sighs, turning her head away.  
  
"Why are we even here?" Elena starts pacing again. Katherine wants to break her legs. "Bonnie would never do this, why would she lock me up here with you?" She looks across to Katherine as if expecting an answer.  
  
Katherine considers ignoring her for more than a moment. Finally, she relents. "Elena, let me make this very clear to you. _I don't know_." She leans back in her armchair, neck curbing back over the arm rest, eyes shut.  
  
"You're not even going to do anything about it?" Katherine doesn't even need to open an eye to know that Elena is looking at her incredulously. "No threats, no attempts to go out the window, nothing?"  
  
Dear God, she knew the girl was persistent, but _this_? Katherine makes a non-committal sound in her throat. "If I can't get out the door, what makes me think I'd have any more luck with the window? I've been living in a tomb for so many weeks, being locked in a bedroom is _hardly_ situation enough to make me use brute force." This time, she cracks open an eye and glances at her doppelganger, "besides, I thought you'd enjoy my company."  
  
Elena does a very un-ladylike sort of snort thing that Katherine finds vaguely amusing. " _I'd_ enjoy _your_ company?" She sounds incredibly disbelieving.  
  
Katherine smiles. "Well, you made it a mission enough to come and visit me in the tomb, didn't you?"  
  
Elena sounds offended when she speaks next. "That was purely for information."  
  
"Oh," Katherine pretends to sound naive, "is that why you stayed and asked about my life, my choices, what I was like as a human?"  
  
Elena is quiet for a moment before she says. "It was all for information."  
  
Katherine hides her smile. "Of course it was."  
  
::  
  
 **4:47pm**  
  
"I can't believe we're still in here."  
  
Katherine keeps her eyes closed. _I can't believe you're still talking._ Maybe if she stays quiet Elena will shut up.  
  
"Do they know we're even in here? I can't call anybody, my phone is in Stefan's room..." She pauses. "I don't suppose you can hear anybody in the house?"  
  
"No," answers Katherine flatly. "I can't."  
  
"What if this isn't Bonnie's spell? What if--"  
  
"Will you _shut up_?" Katherine snaps her head around to look at Elena angrily, "we are locked in The Boarding House, in a _bedroom_ , got it? I really don't think this is supposed to be an evil genius master plan. Neither do I doubt it's a mistake."  
  
Elena crosses her arms across her chest and lifts her chin. "So now you want to talk?"  
  
Katherine refrains from launching herself across the room and ripping the girl's tongue out of her head. "I don't _want_ to talk, but you don't seem to want to be _quiet_ , either." She uncrosses and crosses her legs, settling a bit more in her chair. The sun is lower in the sky now, and the glare is bothering her. Also. She's getting hungry.  
  
"So you're saying this is Bonnie's work, but you don't know why?"  
  
"I didn't say I don't know _why_ , did I?" Katherine revels in Elena's huffed sigh of annoyance.  
  
"Well then, why?"  
  
Katherine finally lets her head tilt to the side and opens her eyes. She gives Elena a flat look. "Look at it this way, you don't want me here, and you've made that clear. All I do is impersonate you, which leads to fighting - I think you get that part." She waits for Elena to get it. Her doppelganger looks just as confused and expectant of an answer as before. Katherine wants to wring her neck. "It seems to be that this is some adolescent attempt at trying to make us get along with one another."  
  
Elena looks at her, expression unmoving, before turning her back and saying, "fat chance."  
  
::  
  
 **5:30pm**  
  
"This is ridiculous."  
  
Katherine, now laying horizontally across the bed, rolls her head to look at Elena. "No, _really_?"  
  
Sitting with her back to the door, Elena gives Katherine a foul glare, and then says, "yes. Really."  
  
Katherine feigns surprise. "I wouldn't have thought." She turns away, staring up at the ceiling once more. She's not in that much of a rush to get out of here, per say, because this is her bedroom. Elena knows this, she was the one that came knocking two hours ago. She was the one who came in with her self-righteous attitude to complain about something that Katherine had done earlier. Then, when Katherine had tried to physically remove her from the room, they'd both bounced off the invisible wall somewhat astonished.  
  
Katherine presses her nose into her hair, the curls soft against her cheek. She knows Elena doesn't want to be here -- if Katherine could have her way _Elena_ wouldn't be here. However, this is the situation they're stuck in and they can't do much about it. Her solution? Wait it out. Sometimes though, Katherine forgets that time means different things to humans. For her, a few hours in a bedroom is nothing, but for Elena, it's an awfully long time.  
  
She could drive the girl insane, weave some more lies and stories, maybe even offer her some false advice. That would only keep her occupied for a short while, and frankly, she just isn't in the mood.  
  
Katherine hears Elena get to her feet. Curious, she rolls over on to her stomach and watches as the girl opens the door. Katherine can almost see what she's going to do. Sucking in a breath of air, Elena starts yelling out for Stefan. Katherine is off the bed and slamming the door so hard Elena stumbles backwards.  
  
"I am _not_ in the mood to hear you screaming your little lungs out." _I'll rip them out if you continue._ "Please," and God, is that hard to say, "will you _be quie_ _t?_ "  
  
Elena sticks her chin in the air. "Why should I? I don't want to be here. I want to get out."  
  
Katherine almost laughs. _Welcome to my life in the tomb, little girl._ "I doubt any of your little friends will leave you alone for too long. Think about it. The both of us go missing, what's the first conclusion they're going to draw?" Katherine rolls her eyes. "They're going to check my room, which we are currently in --"  
  
"I thought you said they'd planned this?" Elena's tone is far too accusing for Katherine's liking.  
  
"Most likely!" Katherine walks back to the bed and sits on the corner. "Honestly, I don't know how people put up with you and incessant... attitude."  
  
"You want to talk about attitude?" Elena crosses her arms over her chest tightly. "You're the bitch here."  
  
Katherine lowers her head very slowly and meets Elena dead in the eye. "I may be here to protect you, as I gave my word, but don't think I won't knock you out cold for a good twenty four hours." Katherine's smile is a little dangerous. "You mouth is becoming more of a hindrance than your actual presence."  
  
Elena clamps her lips tightly together and looks away.  
  
::  
  
 **6:32pm**  
  
"Elena?"  
  
Katherine doesn't bother to look up from the book she's reading to watch Elena run to the door. She heard Caroline making her way down a minute ago.  
  
"I brought food!" At this, Katherine's attention flickers and she glances up nonchalantly. Caroline is holding a tray and smiling far too widely for Katherine to be completely happy. She hands the tray through the door to Elena, and then grudgingly turns to face Katherine. "Couldn't really have you eating her." She doesn't really have to say anything for Katherine to notice the two bags of hospital blood hanging from her neck. She gathers them and tosses them onto the bed beside Katherine, who looks at them rather blankly. She won't give them the satisfaction of thinking they're doing her a favor.  
  
"What's going on?" Elena asks as she sets the tray down on Katherine's dresser. "Why can't we get out?"  
  
Caroline sighs and looks a little guilty. Katherine resists a smile. "Well, so, you know how as much as we don't like it, Katherine's kind of on our side now?" Her eyes flit across to Katherine, who raises a brow and smiles sarcastically. "Well, everyone is kind of sick of you two arguing," before Elena can open her mouth, Caroline cuts in and speaks over her, "because you guys are arguing all the time. I mean, it's not just one person's fault! For starters, I'm getting sick of Katherine pretending to be you," at that, she shoots Katherine a good glare, "but then again, I'm getting a little sick of you Elena, trying to pick fights with her over everything."  
  
Katherine glances over at her doppelganger, and is not surprised to see the shocked expression gracing her face.  
  
Caroline steers ahead. "So, Bonnie and I thought we'd try and find a way to help you get along."  
  
"And you thought locking us in a room together was the best way to go about it?" Elena looks like she wants to hit something, hard. "How long are we going to be in here for?"  
  
Caroline bites her lip. "A while. Just--" she holds her hands out to keep Elena's outburst from exploding. "Just trust us, okay?" Caroline backs up, clasping her hands together. "So I'm going to go--"  
  
" _No,_ " Elena bangs a fist against the invisible wall, "no you're not leaving me in here with her. Where am I supposed to sleep? I have to shower, Caroline, I have homework --"  
  
"Well," Caroline cuts in, "the sooner you two come to terms with one another, the sooner you'll get out."  
  
Elena stares, dumbfounded, as Caroline leaves.  
  
::  
  
 **7:00pm**  
  
"Let's get talking then."  
  
Katherine almost groans as Elena sits on the bed next to her, eyes intent. She glances at her doppelganger wearily. "Really?"  
  
Elena huffs. "The sooner we get along -- or pretend to -- the sooner we get out. I don't know about you, but I'd like to leave sometime soon." Katherine ignores her and goes about sipping idly at one of her blood bags. She's thinking about saving the other one, in case Elena drives her insane and she needs a calming snack, or if she doesn't get fed again for some time. Maybe if she rations -- "Tell me about your family."  
  
Katherine almost bites through her own tongue. "No." Her voice is hard. "Off limits."  
  
Elena makes a sound of frustration. "What do you want, twenty questions?"  
  
Katherine considers this. "That's far more succinct. Do that."  
  
"You've got to be kidding." Elena stares at her incredulously. "Really?"  
  
Katherine sips at her blood. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"  
  
Elena is silent for a moment before asking, "Favorite animal?"  
  
Katherine snickers, long and loud, and smiles at Elena with blood stained teeth. "Wolf." She follows up the silence and Elena's shocked expression with a laugh and then, "tigers. White ones."  
  
Elena swallows thickly.  
  
::  
  
 **7:22pm**  
  
"Katherine, seriously. We're trying to answer questions without lying. Although I know it's something you're particularly good at--"  
  
Katherine rolls her eyes. "Elena. I'm not lying."  
  
Elena blinks, backtracking. "Oh. So -- both of the navy --"  
  
"Yes, Elena. _Both_ of the naval officers."  
  
"...Oh."  
  
::  
  
 **8:11pm**  
  
"No wonder the Bennet witch has it in for vampires." Katherine ponders over this new piece of information, "a dead grandmother. Who'd have thought?"  
  
Elena scowls, "you don't sound particularly empathetic about it."  
  
Katherine fixes her with a harsh look. "Why should I?"  
  
Elena looks mortified. "Because she was a person -- she was _loved_ and --"  
  
"And?" Katherine shakes her head. "I don't expect you to understand, but after dealing with vampires for so long--"  
  
"That doesn't change anything," she shakes her head resolutely, "you can still feel."  
  
Katherine sighs. "Elena," the girl looks over with furrowed brows. "Have you not once considered that after everything I've ever been through, the last thing I really want to do is feel more pain for someone else?"  
  
"Wait," Elena prods further, "so you _do_ feel hurt? Regret? Guilt?"  
  
"No," snaps Katherine. "Next question."  
  
::  
  
 **8.36pm**  
  
"Katherine?"  
  
Katherine is surprised by the softness in Elena's voice, but when she looks up Elena's eyes are hard and her mouth is set. "What?"  
  
"Stop pretending to be me."  
  
Katherine sneers, but doesn't say anything. Maybe the little doppelganger has a bit more fire and fight in her than they all give her credit for.  
  
::  
  
 **9:06pm**  
  
"So, you were eighteen when you had your baby, but you _turned_ at twenty one. Your favorite thing to do apart from pass off as me is eating out -- at restaurants, and turned Caroline purely because you liked the poetry of her name, nothing else?" Elena looks down at her little pad of paper. Katherine had fished it out of one of the bedside drawers for her along with a pen. "You hate fried chicken but love fruits --"  
  
Katherine tapped the pad with a finger, "especially strawberries."  
  
" _Especially_ strawberries, and you once let Mason Lockwood lick melted chocolate off of your, uhm." Elena pauses, tongue tied, and blushes. She clears her throat, "uhm, in hopes he'd tell you where the moon stone was."  
  
Katherine rolls her eyes, "it was horrible. I'm not even that fond of chocolate. All sticky and hot and still _no_ moon stone." She clicks her teeth together, "just imagine how angry I was."  
  
Elena grimaces. "Terrible. So, _so_ terrible. How _did_ you survive?"  
  
::  
  
 **9.47pm**  
  
"I don't think you even understand how bad it is, having to life in your shadow. You were the first _everything,_ and I'm -- I feel like I'm constantly second best. Every single thing I do I compare it to you, what you would have done it like." Elena's rant is one Katherine expecte a while ago, now that it's here, she really just wants it to be over already. "How I dress, what I say, how I act--"  
  
Katherine rolls onto her side. "You speak about me like I'm a stain on your clothing, Elena."  
  
Elena frowns. "That's what it feels like."  
  
::  
 **  
10:05pm**  
  
"You used to love cheerleading but now hate it, you refuse to acknowledge Isobel and John as your parents, you once caught Jenna smoking pot at two in the morning but never told anyone --" Katherine flips a page in the pad, "Your first time was with that boy with the pretty blue eyes, _Matt._ " She flicks her eyes up, "good choice. I approve." Elena makes an indignant sound that Katherine ignores. "You've known the youngest Lockwood since you were in diapers, your brother used to be a major drug user, and--" she reads another line, "You like two marshmallows in hot chocolate not three, and you once freed a frog in Science lab."  
  
Elena nods proudly.  
  
Katherine looks at her flatly. "How _thrilling_."  
  
::  
  
 **10.15pm**  
  
"You broke his heart Katherine! You damaged him beyond--"  
  
Katherine scowls. "I break lots of hearts, Elena. I don't doubt that you'll break some too."  
  
::  
 **  
10:32pm**  
  
"I really don't think that's something that needs to be shared." Elena is lying on her back on the bed, eyes half shut as she frowns.  
  
Katherine shrugs. "You wanted to know everything."  
  
"But still--"  
  
Katherine leans down, "and trust me, even vampire strength and stamina means _nothing_ when someone's coming at you with hot wax down _there_."  
  
"Oh -- ew!"  
  
::  
  
 **11.02pm**  
  
"I'm not going to live in your shadow any more."  
  
Katherine glances at Elena, eyes shut as she faces the ceiling. Katherine quite honestly doesn't know what to say.  
  
::  
  
 **11.42pm**  
  
"Elena -- _Elena._ " Katherine pokes her sleeping doppelganger in the shoulder. "Get _under_ the blankets why don't you?"  
  
When Elena mumbles and bats her away, Katherine fights internally for a few moments before moving the girl into the bed and pulling the covers up around her.  
  
::  
  
 **8:52am**  
  
"Oh my God, are you _naked?!_ "  
  
Katherine blinks awake in one swift movement to find Elena scrambling out of the bed, falling over herself and landing heavily on the floor. Katherine rolls onto her side, chin propped up in her hand and raises her brows.  
  
"Elena, we're _identical_ for God's sakes."  
  
From the floor, Elena's mouth opens in a horrified 'O' and she averts her eyes. "You were _spooning_ me."  
  
Katherine's smile is feral. "I bet you liked it."  
  
::  
  
 **9:12am**  
  
"Breakfast!"  
  
Caroline arrives with a fresh tray and fresh blood, only to almost drop it at the sight of Katherine lounging half naked in the bed sheets still.  
  
" _Not_ what you think," says Elena dryly before Katherine can say something. Unamused, she sits back against the pillows and crosses her arms.  
  
"Spoilsport."  
  
Caroline looks a little confused. "I'm taking you two are doing better then...?" She glances over to where Katherine licks her lips deliberately, and then back at Elena.  
  
Finally, Elena nods. "Yeah," she glances back at Katherine. "We are."  
  
Katherine smirks, watching the revelation dawn in Elena's eyes. Pulling the sheets up to her shoulders she sprawls back in the bed. _We're not so different at all, Elena._

  
  
~Fin.


End file.
